do new cast iron planes sometimes warp?
user-7539732
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Bought a new 5 1/2 Bench plane (not top name) seemed pretty flat upon arrival approx. 6 mo. ago, now having issues and see clearly the toe is not level with body behind blade opening. is it possible this thing warped over time?
Replies
I have heard cast iron needs to age before it gets ground. not sure if that is your situation but also not sure if your plane really cast iron.
Yes. Like wood (so I understand) it can have internal stresses. I have seen photos of a yard full of large 36"bandsaw castings supposedly aging before machining. I suspect this is more important the larger the casting.
When I questioned whether your plane body was cast iron i referred to the use of ductile steel which unlike cast iron will not break/shatter when dropped. Just gets bunged up.
Another way to cast, a cheap way. They can take ground up metal and under a great pressure press it into a mold. I guess technically they can call it cast. I have seen and have had things that when broken open( because they broke) look like a bunch of crystals crammed together. I suspect that maybe that was the process that was used to make it.
That is not casting, it’s sintering and usually used for simple shapes but can be as good as cast metal.
The cast iron bodies are annealed before final maching, right?
What is the name of the brand? If it’s a new plane I would just return it for a new one.
Erik Curtis stated that he has had plane body casting warp over time after purchasing a #5 and #4 new years ago...
https://youtu.be/4Tn4LVeZouA?si=4yFh6_4Pl00YbMRb&t=81